Through my publicist/co-author wife Denise, one of the reporters in Christian Science Monitor (Gloria Goodale) wanted my take on how pop culture has slanted our public perception of radioactivity, so I was happy to provide a response. I used to live THISCLOSE to Fermilab, so perhaps I’m less fearful of radiation than the average bear, but I don’t like to use it as an easy crutch in my plot development when I’m working on my own stories. I give steampunk author Cherie Priest a lot of credit for creating a unique ploy–outside of radiation poisoning–to create zombies in her book “Boneshaker.” (If Boneshaker cover artist Jon Foster’s work seems familiar to you, yes, he is the very same artist & friend who did the cover art and some interior art for my Wasted Lands stand-alone novel, “The Uninvited.”)